Wireless communication transmit power control based on hybrid automatic repeat request (harq) block error rate (bler)

ABSTRACT

A Fifth Generation New Radio (5GNR) User Equipment (UE) controls power consumption. In the 5GNR UE, control circuitry selects an initial 5GNR transmit power and signals the initial 5GNR transmit power to a 5GNR radio. The 5GNR radio transmits initial 5GNR signals at the initial 5GNR transmit power. The control circuitry identifies an excessive Uplink (UL) Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) Block Error Rate (BLER), and in response, selects a lower 5GNR transmit power and signals the lower 5GNR transmit power to the 5GNR radio. The 5GNR radio transmits subsequent 5GNR signals at the lower 5GNR transmit power. The UL HARQ BLER may be for a Long Term Evolution (LTE) access node.

RELATED CASES

This U.S. patent application is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/799,400 that was filed on Feb. 24, 2020 and isentitled “WIRELESS COMMUNICATION TRANSMIT POWER CONTROL BASED ON HYBRIDAUTOMATIC REPEAT REQUEST (HARQ) BLOCK ERROR RATE (BLER).” U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/799,400 is hereby incorporated by reference intothis United States patent application.

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

Wireless communication networks provide wireless data services towireless user devices. The wireless data services includeinternet-access, media-streaming, machine communications, and the like.Exemplary wireless user devices comprise phones, computers, wearabletransceivers, vehicles, robots, and sensors. The wireless communicationnetworks have wireless access nodes that exchange wireless signals withthe wireless user devices over radio frequencies using wireless networkprotocols. Exemplary wireless network protocols include Long TermEvolution (LTE) and Fifth Generation New Radio (5GNR).

Many wireless user devices rely on battery power—especially when theyare mobile. To conserve battery power and control interference, thewireless access nodes control the transmit power used by the wirelessuser devices. The wireless user devices typically have a maximumtransmit power. The wireless access nodes transfer power controlinstructions to decrease in steps from the maximum power or increase insteps toward the maximum power. A wireless access node typicallycontrols the uplink transmit power of the wireless user devices so allof the user devices have the same uplink receive power at the wirelessaccess node. A wireless access node decreases the uplink transmit powerfor wireless user devices that are near the wireless access node andhave a clear signal path. The wireless access node increases the uplinktransmit power for other wireless user devices that are far from thewireless access node or that have a heavily-obstructed signal path. Thedistance and the obstructions between a wireless user device and itsserving wireless access node attenuate the uplink wireless transmissionsfrom the wireless user device to the serving access node. The differencebetween the uplink transmit power at the wireless user device and theuplink receive power at the serving access node is the uplink path loss.The wireless access nodes determine the uplink path loss for thewireless user devices that they serve and use the uplink path loss toexert transmit power control. The wireless access nodes indicate theuplink path loss to the wireless user devices along with their powercontrol instructions.

The wireless access nodes and the wireless user devices perform errorcorrection over the wireless links. A popular form of error correctionis Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ). To perform HARQ, thetransmitter wirelessly transmits data blocks that have sequence numbers.The receiver wirelessly receives most of the data blocks. The receiverwirelessly transmits acknowledgements back to the transmitter for thedata blocks that it successfully receives. The receiver also wirelesslytransmits requests back to the transmitter for the data blocks that aremissing from the sequence. The transmitter wirelessly retransmits thedata blocks that are requested by the receiver and/or that notacknowledged by the receiver. The HARQ Block Error Rate (BLER) comprisesa ratio of the amount of retransferred data blocks to the amount oftransferred data blocks.

Unfortunately, the wireless user devices that simultaneously use both5GNR and LTE rapidly deplete their battery power. Moreover, the wirelessuser devices do not efficiently and effectively use uplink HARQ BLER tocontrol their uplink transmit power and conserve their battery power.

TECHNICAL OVERVIEW

A Fifth Generation New Radio (5GNR) User Equipment (UE) controls powerconsumption. In the 5GNR UE, control circuitry selects an initial 5GNRtransmit power and signals the initial 5GNR transmit power to a 5GNRradio. The 5GNR radio transmits initial 5GNR signals at the initial 5GNRtransmit power. The control circuitry identifies an excessive Uplink(UL) Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) Block Error Rate (BLER), andin response, selects a lower 5GNR transmit power. The control circuitrysignals the lower 5GNR transmit power to the 5GNR radio. The 5GNR radiotransmits subsequent 5GNR signals at the lower 5GNR transmit power. TheUL HARQ BLER may be for a Long Term Evolution (LTE) access node.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a Fifth Generation New Radio (5GNR)/Long TermEvolution (LTE) User Equipment (UE) that controls power consumptionbased on Uplink (UL) Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) Block ErrorRate (BLER).

FIG. 2 illustrates the operation of the 5GNR/LTE UE to control powerconsumption based on UL HARQ BLER.

FIG. 3 illustrates the operation of the 5GNR/LTE UE to control powerconsumption based on UL HARQ BLER.

FIG. 4 illustrates a 5GNR/LTE UE to control power consumption based onUL HARQ BLER and UL path loss in a 5GNR/LTE communication network.

FIG. 5 illustrates 5GNR/LTE access nodes in the 5GNR/LTE communicationnetwork that serve the 5GNR/LTE UE which controls power consumptionbased on UL HARQ BLER and UL path loss.

FIG. 6 illustrates a 5GNR/LTE Network Function VirtualizationInfrastructure (NFVI) in the 5GNR/LTE communication network that servesthe 5GNR/LTE UE which controls power consumption based on UL HARQ BLERand UL path loss.

FIG. 7 illustrates the operation of the 5GNR/LTE communication networkwhen the 5GNR/LTE UE controls power consumption based on UL HARQ BLERand UL path loss.

FIG. 8 illustrates the operation of the 5GNR/LTE UE to control powerconsumption based on UL HARQ BLER and UL path loss in the 5GNR/LTEcommunication network.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates Fifth Generation New Radio (5GNR)/Long Term Evolution(LTE) User Equipment (UE) 110 that controls its power consumption basedon Uplink (UL) Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) Block Error Rate(BLER) in 5GNR/LTE communication network 100. In some examples, the ULpath loss is also used to control the power consumption. 5GNR/LTEcommunication network 100 supports wireless data services likeinternet-access, media-streaming, messaging, gaming,machine-communications, and/or some other wireless data product.5GNR/LTE communication network 100 comprises 5GNR/LTE UE 110, 5GNR/LTEaccess nodes 120, network elements 130, and backhaul 140.

5GNR/LTE UE 110 is coupled to 5GNR/LTE access nodes 120 over wireless5GNR links 115 and wireless LTE links 116. Wireless links 115-116 usefrequencies in the low-band, mid-band, high-band, or some other part orthe wireless electromagnetic spectrum. 5GNR/LTE access nodes 120 arecoupled to one another and to network elements 130 over backhaul 140.Backhaul 140 may use Time Division Multiplex (TDM), IEEE 802.3(ETHERNET), Internet Protocol (IP), Data Over Cable System InterfaceSpecification (DOCSIS), LTE, 5GNR, virtual switching, radio tunnelingprotocols, and/or some other networking protocols.

5GNR/LTE UE 110 might be a phone, computer, wearable transceiver, robot,vehicle, and/or some other data appliance with wireless communicationcircuitry. 5GNR/LTE UE 110 comprises 5GNR radio 111, LTE radio 112, andcontrol circuitry 113 which are coupled over bus circuitry 114. Radios111-112 comprise antennas, filters, amplifiers, analog-to-digitalinterfaces, microprocessors, memory, software, transceivers, buscircuitry, and the like. Control circuitry 113 comprisesmicroprocessors, memory, software, transceivers, bus circuitry, and thelike. The microprocessors comprise Digital Signal Processors (DSP),Central Processing Units (CPUs), Graphical Processing Units (GPUs),Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), and/or the like. Thememories comprise Random Access Memory (RAM), flash circuitry, diskdrives, and/or the like. The memories store software like operatingsystems, user applications, and network applications.

5GNR/LTE access nodes 120 comprise radios and Baseband Units (BBUs)which are coupled over bus circuitry. The radios comprise antennas,filters, amplifiers, analog-to-digital interfaces, microprocessors,memory, software, transceivers, bus circuitry, and the like. The BBUscomprise microprocessors, memory, software, transceivers, bus circuitry,and the like. The microprocessors comprise DSP, CPUs, GPUs, ASICs,and/or the like. The memories comprise RAM, flash circuitry, diskdrives, and/or the like. The memories store software like operatingsystems and network applications.

Network elements 130 comprise microprocessors, memory, software, and businterfaces. The microprocessors comprise CPU, GPU, ASIC, and/or thelike. The memory comprises RAM, flash circuitry, disk drive, and/or thelike. The memory stores software like operating system and networkapplications. Exemplary network elements 130 include Access and MobilityManagement Functions (AMFs), Session Management Functions (SMFs),Mobility Management Entities (MMEs), User Plane Functions (UPFs),Serving Gateways (SGWs), Packet Data Network Gateways (PGWs), and/or thelike. In some examples, network elements 130 comprise Virtual NetworkFunctions (VNFs) in a Network Function Virtualization Infrastructure(NFVI).

In 5GNR/LTE UE 110, control circuitry 113 receives transmit powerinstructions from 5GNR/LTE access nodes 120 to increase or decrease theUL 5GNR transmit power and the UL LTE transmit power. This network powercontrol is primarily based on the distance and the obstructions betweenUE 110 and the serving ones of access nodes 120. 5GNR/LTE access nodes120 increase the UL transmit power of 5GNR/LTE UE 110 as UE 110 movesfurther away or moves behind more obstructions. Control circuitry 113selects an UL 5GNR transmit power and an UL Long Term Evolution (LTE)transmit power based on the network power control from 5GNR/LTE accessnodes 120, the UL HARQ BLER, and possibly the UL path loss.

In 5GNR/LTE UE 110, control circuitry 113 signals the selected 5GNRtransmit power to 5GNR radio 111. Control circuitry 113 signals theselected LTE transmit power to LTE radio 112. 5GNR radio 111 transmitsUL 5GNR signals over 5GNR links 115 at the selected 5GNR transmit power.LTE radio 112 transmits UL LTE signals over LTE links 116 at theselected LTE transmit power.

During the UL signal transmissions, 5GNR/LTE UE 110 and 5GNR/LTE accessnodes 120 perform UL HARQ. To perform UL HARQ, 5GNR/LTE access nodes 120wirelessly receive data blocks from UE 110, and access nodes 120wirelessly return acknowledgements to UE 110 for the data blocks thatare accurately received. 5GNR/LTE UE 110 retransfers a given data blockto 5GNR/LTE access nodes 120 when its corresponding acknowledgement isnot timely received. 5GNR/LTE UE 110 adds sequence numbers to thetransferred data blocks, and 5GNR/LTE access nodes 120 wirelesslyrequest the retransmission of any data blocks that are missing from thereceived sequence. 5GNR/LTE UE 110 wirelessly retransfers the missingdata blocks per the requests. The HARQ Block Error Rate (BLER) comprisesa ratio of the amount of retransferred data blocks to the amount oftransferred data blocks. For example, the BLER is 10% when 100 datablock are transmitted and 10 of the data blocks are retransmitted.

Control circuitry 113 averages the UL BLER during an error samplingperiod like 100 milliseconds. The UL BLER may be for the LTE UL, 5GNRUL, or both. Control circuitry 113 compares the average UL HARQ BLER toan error threshold like 15%. When the average UL HARQ BLER exceeds theerror threshold, control circuitry 113 decreases the 5GNR UL transmitpower and increases the LTE UL transmit power. In some examples, the LTEUL transmit power is increased by three decibels while the 5GNR ULtransmit power is reduced to zero. Control circuitry 113 signals thelower 5GNR transmit power (maybe zero) to 5GNR radio 111. Controlcircuitry 113 signals the higher LTE transmit power to LTE radio 112.LTE radio 112 transmits subsequent LTE signals over LTE link 116 at thehigher LTE transmit power subject to network power control at the new ULtransmit power level. 5GNR radio 111 transmits subsequent 5GNR signalsover 5GNR link 115 at the lower 5GNR transmit power, and radio 111 stops5GNR UL transmission if the 5GNR transmit power is zero. The 5GNR ULtransmit power and the LTE UL transmit power may be subsequently resetto their original values based on network power control, UL BLER, andpossibly UL path loss.

In some examples, 5GNR/LTE access nodes 120 calculate UL path loss overwireless links 115-116 and report the path loss to control circuitry113. The UL path loss over links 115-116 comprises the differencebetween the UL transmission power at UE 110 and the UL reception powerat access nodes 120. The UL path loss data could be for 5GNR link 115,LTE link 116, or both. Control circuitry 113 averages the UL path lossfor a loss sampling period and compares the average UL path loss to aloss threshold. Control circuitry 113 may then decrease the 5GNR ULtransmit power and increase the LTE UL transmit power when both theaverage UL HARQ BLER exceeds the error threshold and the average UL pathloss exceeds the loss threshold.

FIG. 2 illustrates the operation of 5GNR/LTE UE 110 to control powerconsumption based on UL HARQ BLER. Path loss on the UL is used in thisexample, but UL path loss may be used differently or not be used inother examples. In this example, the 5GNR UL transmit power is decreasedand increased, but the 5GNR UL transmit power may be turned off and onin other examples. 5GNR/LTE UE 110 selects an UL 5GNR transmit power andan UL LTE transmit power (201). The transmit power selections areusually made based on instructions from 5GNR/LTE access nodes 120.5GNR/LTE UE 110 transmits UL 5GNR signals over 5GNR links 115 at theselected 5GNR transmit power and transmits UL LTE signals over LTE links116 at the selected LTE transmit power (202). During the UL signaltransmissions, 5GNR/LTE UE 110 determines UL HARQ and UL path loss.Control circuitry 113 averages the UL BLER during an error samplingperiod (203). Control circuitry 113 averages the UL path loss during aloss sampling period. Control circuitry 113 compares the average UL HARQBLER to an error threshold and compares the average UL path loss to aloss threshold. When the average UL HARQ BLER exceeds the errorthreshold and the average UL path loss exceeds the loss threshold (204),control circuitry 113 decreases the 5GNR transmit power and increasesthe LTE transmit power (205). 5GNR/LTE UE 110 transmits subsequent LTEsignals at the higher LTE transmit power (206). If there is any 5GNRtransmit power, then 5GNR/LTE UE 110 transmits subsequent 5GNR signalsat the lower 5GNR transmit power. The 5GNR transmit power may berestored based on a time schedule, network power control, UL BLER, andUL path loss, and/or some other factors (207). The operation repeats(201).

FIG. 3 illustrates the operation of 5GNR/LTE UE 110 to control powerconsumption based on UL HARQ BLER. In this example, the UL path loss isnot used for power control, but the UL path loss could be used in otherexamples. In this example, the 5GNR UL transmit power is turned off andon, but the 5GNR UL transmit power could be decreased and increased inother examples. In 5GNR/LTE UE 110, control circuitry 113 selects a 5GNRUL transmit power and an LTE UL transmit power—typically based onnetwork power control from 5GNR/LTE access nodes 120. Control circuitry113 signals the selected 5GNR transmit power to 5GNR radio 111 andsignals the selected LTE transmit power to LTE radio 112. 5GNR radio 111transmits 5GNR UL signals at the selected 5GNR transmit power, and LTEradio 112 transmits LTE UL signals at the selected LTE transmit power.Control circuitry 113 averages the UL BLER during an error samplingperiod. In this example, the error sampling period is greater than 90milliseconds and less than 110 milliseconds. The UL BLER determinationmay be for the LTE UL, 5GNR UL, or both. Control circuitry 113 detectswhen the average UL HARQ BLER exceeds the error threshold. When theaverage UL HARQ BLER exceeds the error threshold, control circuitry 113turns off the 5GNR transmit power and increases the LTE transmit powerby three decibels. Control circuitry 113 signals a power off instructionto 5GNR radio 111 for the UL, and 5GNR radio 111 stops the wirelesstransmission of 5GNR signals. Control circuitry 113 signals the threedecibel power increase to LTE radio 112, and LTE radio 112 transmits LTEsignals at the increased LTE UL transmit power.

Advantageously, 5GNR/LTE UE 410 uses both 5GNR and LTE while alsoprocessing uplink HARQ BLER to efficiently control uplink transmit powerand effectively conserve battery power.

FIG. 4 illustrates 5GNR/LTE UE 410 to control power consumption based onUL HARQ BLER and UL path loss in 5GNR/LTE communication network 400.5GNR/LTE UE 410 is an example of 5GNR/LTE UE 110, although UE 110 maydiffer. 5GNR/LTE communication network 400 comprises 5GNR/LTE 410,5GNR/LTE access nodes 420, and Network Function VirtualizationInfrastructure (NFVI) 430. 5GNR/LTE UE 410 comprises 5GNR radios 411,LTE radios 412, and control circuitry 413 which are interconnected overbus circuitry 414.

Radios 411-412 comprise antennas, amplifiers, filters, modulation,analog-to-digital interfaces, DSP, and memory that are coupled over buscircuitry. The antennas in 5GNR/LTE UE 410 are wirelessly coupled to5GNR/LTE access nodes 420 over wireless 5GNR links and wireless LTElinks. Control circuitry 413 comprises user interfaces (IF), CPU, andmemory. The memory in user circuitry 413 stores an operating system,user applications, and network applications for Physical Layer (PHY),Media Access Control (MAC), Radio Link Control (RLC), Packet DataConvergence Protocol (PDCP), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP),and Radio Resource Control (RRC). The CPU executes the operating system,user applications, and network applications to exchange signaling anddata between the user applications and the network applications. The CPUexecutes the operating system and network applications to wirelesslyexchange corresponding signaling and data with 5GNR/LTE access nodes 420over 5GNR/LTE radios 411-412.

In radios 411-412, the antennas receive wireless 5GNR/LTE signals from5GNR/LTE access nodes 420 that transport DL 5GNR/LTE signaling and DL5GNR/LTE data. The antennas transfer corresponding electrical DL signalsthrough duplexers to the amplifiers. The amplifiers boost the receivedDL signals for filters which attenuate unwanted energy. In modulation,demodulators down-convert the DL signals from their carrier frequencies.The analog/digital interfaces convert the analog DL signals into digitalDL signals for the DSPs. The DSPs recover DL 5GNR/LTE symbols from theDL digital signals. The CPU executes the network applications to processthe DL 5GNR/LTE symbols and recover the DL 5GNR/LTE signaling and the5GNR/LTE DL data. The RRCs transfer corresponding DL user signaling tothe operating system/user applications. The SDAP and PDCP transfercorresponding DL user data to the operating system/user applications.

The SDAP and PDCP receive UL user data from the operating system/userapplications. The RRCs receive UL signaling from the operatingsystem/user applications. The RRCs process the UL user signaling and theDL 5GNR/LTE signaling to generate new DL user signaling and new UL5GNR/LTE signaling. The network applications process the UL 5GNR/LTEsignaling and the UL 5GNR/LTE data to generate corresponding UL 5GNR/LTEsymbols. The network applications like RRC and MAC also exert transmitpower control. In radios 411-412, the DSPs process the UL 5GNR/LTEsymbols to generate corresponding digital signals for theanalog-to-digital interfaces. The analog-to-digital interfaces convertthe digital UL signals into analog UL signals for modulation. Modulationup-converts the UL signals to their carrier frequencies. The amplifiersboost the modulated UL signals to the selected UL transmit power levels.The filters attenuate unwanted out-of-band energy and transfer thefiltered UL signals through duplexers to the antennas. The electrical ULsignals drive the antennas to emit corresponding wireless 5GNR/LTEsignals that transport the UL 5GNR/LTE signaling and UL 5GNR/LTE data to5GNR/LTE access nodes 420.

RRC functions comprise authentication, security, handover control,status reporting, Quality-of-Service (QoS), network broadcasts andpages, and network selection. SDAP functions comprise QoS marking andflow control. PDCP functions comprise LTE/5GNR allocations, securityciphering, header compression and decompression, sequence numbering andre-sequencing, de-duplication. RLC functions comprise Automatic RepeatRequest (ARQ), sequence numbering and resequencing, segmentation andresegmentation. MAC functions comprise buffer status, power control,channel quality, HARQ, user identification, random access, userscheduling, and QoS. PHY functions comprise packetformation/deformation, windowing/de-windowing,guard-insertion/guard-deletion, parsing/de-parsing, controlinsertion/removal, interleaving/de-interleaving, Forward ErrorCorrection (FEC) encoding/decoding, rate matching/de-matching,scrambling/descrambling, modulation mapping/de-mapping, channelestimation/equalization, Fast Fourier Transforms (FFTs)/Inverse FFTs(IFFTs), channel coding/decoding, layer mapping/de-mapping, precoding,Discrete Fourier Transforms (DFTs)/Inverse DFTs (IDFTs), and ResourceElement (RE) mapping/de-mapping.

In 5GNR/LTE UE 410, the 5GNR MAC selects an UL 5GNR transmit power basedon power control instructions from 5GNR/LTE access nodes 420 received bythe 5GNR RRC. The 5GNR MAC signals the selected 5GNR transmit power tothe DSP in 5GNR radios 411. In 5GNR radios 411, the DSP directs theamplifiers to boost the 5GNR UL transmit signals to the selected 5GNRtransmit power. The LTE MAC selects an UL LTE transmit power based onpower control instructions from 5GNR/LTE access nodes 420 received bythe LTE RRC. The LTE MAC signals the selected LTE transmit power to theDSP in LTE 5GNR radios 412. In LTE radios 412, the DSP directs theamplifiers to boost the LTE UL transmit signals to the selected LTEtransmit power. 5GNR radios 411 transmit the UL 5GNR signals at theselected 5GNR transmit power, and LTE radios 412 transmit the UL LTEsignals at the selected LTE transmit power.

The LTE MAC performs HARQ on the LTE UL. The 5GNR MAC performs HARQ onthe 5GNR UL. The LTE MAC averages the UL LTE BLER for approximately 100milliseconds and notifies the LTE RRC. The 5GNR MAC averages the UL 5GNRBLER for approximately 100 milliseconds and notifies the 5GNR RRC.

5GNR/LTE access nodes 420 determine 5GNR UL path loss and LTE UL pathloss for 5GNR/LTE UE 410. 5GNR/LTE access nodes 420 transfer the 5GNR ULpath loss metrics to the 5GNR RRC in 5GNR/LTE UE 410. 5GNR/LTE accessnodes 420 transfer the LTE UL path loss metrics to the LTE RRC in5GNR/LTE UE 410. The 5GNR RRC in UE 410 averages the UL 5GNR path lossfor approximately 100 milliseconds. The LTE RRC in UE 410 averages theUL LTE path loss for approximately 100 milliseconds.

In 5GNR/LTE UE 410, the 5GNR RRC compares the average 5GNR UL HARQ BLERto a 5GNR error threshold and compares the average 5GNR UL path loss toa loss threshold. The LTE RRC compares the average LTE UL HARQ BLER toan LTE error threshold and compares the average LTE UL path loss to aloss threshold. The 5GNR RRC notifies the LTE RRC when the 5GNR UL HARQBLER and the 5GNR UL path loss both exceed their error thresholds. TheLTE RRC notifies the 5GNR RRC when the LTE UL HARQ BLER and the LTE ULpath loss both exceed their error thresholds. When the 5GNR UL HARQBLER, the LTE UL HARQ BLER, the 5GNR UL path loss, and the LTE UL pathloss all exceed their thresholds, the LTE RRC directs the LTE MAC toincrease LTE UL transmit power by three decibels, and the 5GNR RRCdirects the 5GNR MAC to decrease 5GNR UL transmit power to zero.

The 5GNR MAC signals the DSP in 5GNR radios 411 to power-down, and the5GNR DSP powers down one or more 5GNR amplifiers to reduce powerconsumption. The LTE MAC signals the DSP in LTE radios 412 to power-up,and the LTE DSP increases the gain by three decibels for one or more ofthe LTE amplifiers to improve the LTE UL quality. The amplifiers in LTEradios 411 amplify the UL LTE signals by an additional three decibelsbefore wireless transmission.

In response to the 5GNR UL power-off, the 5GNR RRC in UE 410 signals theAMF in NFVI 430 over access nodes 120 to terminate 5GNR service. Forexample, the 5GNR RRC in UE 410 may transfer a Tracking Area Update(TAU) that has the instruction to disable 5GNR service in response to5GNR UL power-off. The AMF in NFVI 430 terminates the 5GNR service forUE 410 responsive to the TAU. Alternatively, the LTE RRC in UE 410 maysignal the MME in NFVI 430 over access nodes 120 to terminate 5GNRservice. For example, the LTE

RRC in UE 410 may transfer a TAU that has the instruction to disable5GNR service, and the MME in NFVI 430 signals the AMF to terminate the5GNR service for UE 410 responsive to the TAU.

The LTE MAC performs HARQ on the LTE UL, averages the UL LTE BLER forapproximately 100 milliseconds, and notifies the LTE RRC. 5GNR/LTEaccess nodes 420 determine LTE UL path loss for 5GNR/LTE UE 410 andtransfer the LTE UL path loss metrics to the LTE RRC in 5GNR/LTE UE 410.The LTE RRC in UE 410 averages the UL LTE path loss for approximately100 milliseconds. The LTE RRC compares the average LTE UL HARQ BLER to a5GNR restoration threshold and compares the average LTE UL path loss toa 5GNR restoration threshold. The LTE RRC notifies the 5GNR RRC when theLTE UL HARQ BLER and the LTE UL path loss fall below the 5GNRrestoration thresholds. When the LTE UL HARQ BLER and the LTE UL pathloss both fall below the 5GNR restoration thresholds, the LTE RRCdirects the LTE MAC to decrease LTE UL transmit power by three decibels,and the 5GNR RRC directs the 5GNR MAC to increase 5GNR UL transmit powerback to a default value like 23 decibels. The 5GNR MAC signals the DSPin 5GNR radios 411 to power-up, and the 5GNR DSP powers up one or moreof the 5GNR amplifiers. The LTE MAC signals the DSP in LTE radios 412 topower-down, and the LTE DSP decreases the gain by three decibels for theone or more of the LTE amplifiers.

In response to the 5GNR UL power-on, the 5GNR RRC in UE 410 signals theAMF in NFVI 430 over access nodes 120 to restart the 5GNR service. Forexample, the 5GNR RRC in UE 410 may transfer a TAU that has theinstruction to enable the 5GNR service in response to 5GNR UL power-on.The AMF in NFVI 430 restarts the 5GNR service for UE 410 responsive tothe TAU. Alternatively, the LTE RRC in UE 410 may signal the MME in NFVI430 over access nodes 120 to restart the 5GNR service. For example, theLTE RRC in UE 410 may transfer a TAU that has the instruction to restartthe 5GNR service, and the MME in NFVI 430 signals the AMF to restart the5GNR service for UE 410 responsive to the TAU.

FIG. 5 illustrates 5GNR/LTE access nodes 420 in 5GNR/LTE communicationnetwork 400 that serves 5GNR/LTE UE 410 which controls power consumptionbased on UL HARQ BLER and UL path loss. 5GNR/LTE access nodes 420 are anexample of 5GNR/LTE access nodes 120, although nodes 120 may differ.5GNR/LTE access nodes 420 comprise 5GNR radios 421, LTE radios 422, 5GNRBaseband Unit (BBU) 423, and LTE BBU 424. Radios 421-422 compriseantennas, amplifiers, filters, modulation, analog-to-digital interfaces,DSP, and memory that are coupled over bus circuitry. BBUs 423-424comprises memory, CPU, and data Input/Output (I/O) that are coupled overbus circuitry.

5GNR/LTE UE 410 is wirelessly coupled to the antennas in radios 421-422.Radios 421-422 and BBUs 423-424 are coupled over data links like CommonPublic Radio Interface (CPRI) or some other network protocol. The dataI/Os in BBUs 423-423 are coupled over backhaul links to NFVI 430. InBBUs 423-424, the memories store operating systems, PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP,SDAP, and RRC. The CPUs execute the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, SDAP, and RRCto drive the exchange of data and signaling between 5GNR/LTE UE 410 andNFVI 430 over radios 421-422.

In radios 421-422, the antennas receive wireless signals from 5GNR/LTEUE 410 that transport UL 5GNR/LTE signaling and UL 5GNR/LTE data. Theantennas transfer corresponding electrical UL signals through duplexersto the amplifiers. The amplifiers boost the received UL signals forfilters which attenuate unwanted energy. In modulation, demodulatorsdown-convert the UL signals from their carrier frequencies. Theanalog/digital interfaces convert the analog UL signals into digital ULsignals for the DSP. The DSP recovers UL 5GNR/LTE symbols from the ULdigital signals. In BBUs 423-424, the CPUs execute the networkapplications to process the UL 5GNR/LTE symbols and recover UL 5GNR/LTEsignaling and UL 5GNR/LTE data.

In 5GNR BBU 423, the CPU executes the 5GNR RRC to process the UL 5GNRsignaling and DL 5GNR signaling to generate new UL 5GNR signaling andnew DL 5GNR signaling. The 5GNR RRC transfers the new UL 5GNR signalingto an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) in NFVI 430 over thedata I/O and backhaul. The 5GNR SDAP transfers the UL 5GNR data to aUser Plane Function (UPF) in NFVI 430 over the data I/O and backhaullinks. The 5GNR RRC receives the DL 5GNR signaling from the AMF. The5GNR SDAP receives DL 5GNR data from the UPF.

In LTE BBU 424, the CPU executes the LTE RRC to process the UL LTEsignaling and DL LTE signaling to generate new UL LTE signaling and newDL LTE signaling. The LTE RRC transfers the new UL LTE signaling to aMobility Management Entity (MME) in NFVI 430 over the data I/O andbackhaul. The LTE PDCP transfers the UL LTE data to a Serving Gateway(SGW) in NFVI 430 over the data I/O and backhaul links. The LTE RRCreceives the DL LTE signaling from the MME. The LTE PDCP receives DL LTEdata from the SGW.

The 5GNR network applications in 5GNR BBU 423 process the DL 5GNRsignaling and DL 5GNR data to generate corresponding DL 5GNR symbolsthat represent the DL 5GNR signaling and DL 5GNR data in the frequencydomain. The LTE network applications in LTE BBU 424 process the DL LTEsignaling and DL LTE data to generate corresponding DL LTE symbols thatrepresent the DL LTE signaling and DL LTE data in the frequency domain.

In radios 421-422, the DSPs processes the DL 5GNR/LTE symbols togenerate corresponding digital signals for the analog-to-digitalinterfaces. The analog-to-digital interfaces convert the digital DLsignals into analog DL signals for modulation. Modulation up-convertsthe DL signals to their carrier frequencies. The amplifiers boost themodulated DL signals for the filters which attenuate unwantedout-of-band energy. The filters transfer the filtered DL signals throughduplexers to the antennas. The electrical DL signals drive the antennasto emit corresponding wireless signals that transport the DL 5GNR/LTEsignaling and DL 5GNR/LTE data to 5GNR/LTE UE 410.

RRC functions comprise authentication, security, handover control,status reporting, QoS, network broadcasts and pages, and networkselection. PDCP functions comprise LTE/5GNR allocations, securityciphering, header compression and decompression, sequence numbering andre-sequencing, de-duplication. RLC functions comprise ARQ, sequencenumbering and resequencing, segmentation and resegmentation. MACfunctions comprise buffer status, power control, channel quality, HARQ,user identification, random access, user scheduling, and QoS. PHYfunctions comprise packet formation/deformation, windowing/de-windowing,guard-insertion/guard-deletion, parsing/de-parsing, controlinsertion/removal, interleaving/de-interleaving, FEC encoding/decoding,rate matching/de-matching, scrambling/descrambling, modulationmapping/de-mapping, channel estimation/equalization, FFTs/IFFTs, channelcoding/decoding, layer mapping/de-mapping, precoding, DFTs/IDFTs, and REmapping/de-mapping.

In 5GNR/LTE access nodes 420, the 5GNR MAC increases or decreases the5GNR UL transmit power for UE 410 to maintain the received signalstrength at access nodes 420 at a common level for all 5GNR UEs. The5GNR MAC signals the 5GNR UL power control to the 5GNR MAC in UE 410.The LTE MAC increases or decreases the LTE UL transmit power for UE 410to maintain the received signal strength at access nodes 420 at a commonlevel for all LTE UEs. The LTE MAC signals the LTE UL power control tothe LTE MAC in UE 410.

The 5GNR MAC performs HARQ on the 5GNR UL. The 5GNR PHY determines 5GNRUL path loss and signals the 5GNR UL path loss for UE 410 to the 5GNRRRC. The 5GNR RRC signals the 5GNR UL path loss to the 5GNR RRC in UE410. The LTE MAC performs HARQ on the LTE UL. The LTE PHY determines LTEUL path loss and signals the LTE UL path loss for UE 410 to the LTE RRC.The LTE RRC signals the LTE UL path loss to the LTE RRC in UE 410.

The LTE RRC in access nodes 420 receives signaling from the LTE RRC inUE 410 that indicates three decibel increases or decreases in the LTE ULtransmit power. The LTE RRC notifies the LTE MAC of the UL transmitpower changes for use in network power control. The 5GNR RRC in accessnodes 420 receives signaling from the 5GNR RRC in UE 410 that indicatespower on/off status. The 5GNR RRC notifies the 5GNR MAC of the ULtransmit on/off status for use in network power control.

The 5GNR RRC in access nodes 420 may receive service instructions fromthe 5GNR RRC in UE 410 for delivery to the AMF in NFVI 430. The 5GNR RRCin access nodes 420 transfers the service instructions to the MME inNFVI 430. For example, the 5GNR RRC in access nodes 420 may receive aTracking Area Update (TAU) from UE 410 that has an instruction todisable or enable 5GNR service. The 5GNR RRC forwards the TAU to the AMFin NFVI 430 to disable or enable the 5GNR service for UE 410.Alternatively, the LTE RRC in access nodes 420 may receive serviceinstructions from the LTE RRC in UE 410 for delivery to the MME in NFVI430. The LTE RRC in access nodes 420 transfers the service instructionsto the MME. For example, the LTE RRC in access nodes 420 may receive aTAU with an instruction to disable or enable the 5GNR service for UE410. The LTE RRC forwards the TAU to the MME to disable or enable the5GNR service for UE 410.

FIG. 6 illustrates a 5GNR/LTE Network Function VirtualizationInfrastructure (NFVI) 430 in the 5GNR/LTE communication network 400 thatserves the 5GNR/LTE UE 410 which controls power consumption based on ULHARQ BLER and UL path loss. NFVI 430 is an example of network elements130, although network elements 130 may differ. NFVI 430 compriseshardware 621, hardware drivers 622, operating systems and hypervisors623, virtual layer 624, and Virtual Network Functions (VNFs) 625.Hardware 621 comprises Network Interface Cards (NICs), CPUs, RAM,flash/disk drives, and data switches (SWS). Virtual layer 624 comprisesvirtual NICs (vNIC), virtual CPUs (vCPU), virtual RAM (vRAM), virtualDrives (vDRIVE), and virtual Switches (vSW). The NICs in NFVI 420 arecoupled to 5GNR/LTE access nodes 420 over backhaul links. VNFs 425comprise MME, SGW, PGW, AMF, SMF, UPF, and the like. Hardware 621executes hardware drivers 622, operating systems and hypervisors 623,virtual layer 624, and VNFs 625 to serve UE 410 with data services over5GNR/LTE access nodes 420.

The AMF may receive service instructions from the 5GNR RRC in UE 410 toterminate 5GNR service for UE 410. In response, the AMF signals the SMFto disable the 5GNR service for UE 410. The SMF signals the UPF toterminate the 5GNR bearer for UE 410. The UPF terminates the 5GNR bearerfor UE 410. The AMF signals the 5GNR RRC in access nodes 420 to disablethe 5GNR service for UE 410. The 5GNR RRC in access nodes 420 terminatesthe 5GNR bearer for UE 410. The service instruction may be a TrackingArea Update (TAU) from UE 410 that has the instruction to disable 5GNRservice. In some examples, the MME may receive service instructions fromthe LTE RRC in UE 410 to terminate 5GNR service for UE 410. In response,the MME signals the AMF and/or the SGW to disable the 5GNR service forUE 410.

The AMF may receive service instructions from the 5GNR RRC in UE 410 torestart the 5GNR service for UE 410. In response, the AMF signals theSMF to restart the 5GNR service for UE 410, and the SMF signals the UPFto start a new 5GNR bearer for UE 410. The UPF starts the 5GNR bearerfor UE 410. The AMF signals the 5GNR RRC in access nodes 420 to enablethe 5GNR service for UE 410. The 5GNR RRC in access nodes 420 starts the5GNR bearer for UE 410. The service instruction may be a TAU from UE 410that has the instruction to enable 5GNR service. In some examples, theMME may receive service instructions from the LTE RRC in UE 410 toenable 5GNR service for UE 410. In response, the MME signals the AMFand/or the SGW to enable the 5GNR service for UE 410.

FIG. 7 illustrates the operation of the 5GNR/LTE communication network400 when 5GNR/LTE UE 410 controls power consumption based on UL HARQBLER and UL path loss. In 5GNR/LTE access nodes 420, the 5GNR MACincreases or decreases the 5GNR UL transmit power for UE 410 to maintainthe received signal strength at access nodes 420 at a common level forall 5GNR UEs. The 5GNR MAC signals the 5GNR UL power control to the 5GNRMAC in UE 410. In 5GNR/LTE access nodes 420, the LTE MAC increases ordecreases the LTE UL transmit power for UE 410 to maintain the receivedsignal strength at access nodes 120 at a common level for all LTE UEs.The LTE MAC signals the LTE UL power control to the LTE MAC in UE 410.

In 5GNR/LTE UE 410, the 5GNR MAC selects an UL 5GNR transmit power basedon power control instructions from the 5GNR MAC in access nodes 420. The5GNR MAC selects an UL 5GNR transmit power based on power controlinstructions from the 5GNR MAC in access nodes 420. In UE 410, the 5GNRMAC controls the 5GNR UL transmit power. The 5GNR PHY in UE 410transfers 5GNR signals having the 5GNR UL transmit power to the 5GNR PHYin access nodes 420. The 5GNR PHY in access nodes 420 transferscorresponding UL signals to the 5GNR RRC and SDAP. The 5GNR RRCtransfers corresponding UL signaling to the AMF, and the SDAP transferscorresponding UL data to the UPF. The UPF transfers the UL data.

In 5GNR/LTE UE 410, the LTE MAC selects an UL LTE transmit power basedon power control instructions from the LTE MAC in access nodes 420. InUE 410, the LTE MAC controls the LTE UL transmit power. The LTE PHY inUE 410 transfers LTE signals at the UL transmit power to the LTE PHY inaccess nodes 420. The LTE PHY in access nodes 420 transferscorresponding UL signals to the LTE RRC and PDCP. The LTE RRC transferscorresponding UL signaling to the MME, and the PDCP transferscorresponding UL data to the SGW. The SGW transfers the UL data to thePGW, and the PGW transfer the UL data.

In 5GNR/LTE access nodes 420, the 5GNR PHY determines 5GNR UL path lossfor UE 410, and the LTE PHY determines LTE UL path loss for UE 410. The5GNR PHY transfers the UL path loss metrics to the 5GNR RRC whichforwards the path loss metrics to the 5GNR RRC in UE 410. The 5GNR RRCin UE 410 averages the UL 5GNR path loss for approximately 100milliseconds. The LTE PHY transfers the UL path loss metrics to the LTERRC which forwards the path loss metrics to the LTE RRC in UE 410. TheLTE RRC in UE 410 averages the UL LTE path loss for approximately 100milliseconds.

In UE 410 and access nodes 420, the 5GNR MACs perform HARQ on the 5GNRUL, and LTE MACs perform HARQ on the LTE UL. In UE 410, the 5GNR MACaverages the UL 5GNR BLER for approximately 100 milliseconds andnotifies the 5GNR RRC. The LTE MAC averages the UL LTE BLER forapproximately 100 milliseconds and notifies the LTE RRC. In UE 410, the5GNR RRC compares the average 5GNR UL HARQ BLER to a 5GNR errorthreshold and compares the average 5GNR UL path loss to a lossthreshold. The LTE RRC compares the average LTE UL HARQ BLER to an LTEerror threshold and compares the average LTE UL path loss to a lossthreshold. The 5GNR RRC notifies the LTE RRC when the 5GNR UL HARQ BLERand the 5GNR UL path loss both exceed their error thresholds. The LTERRC notifies the 5GNR RRC when the LTE UL HARQ BLER and the LTE UL pathloss both exceed their error thresholds. When the 5GNR UL HARQ BLER, LTEUL HARQ BLER, 5GNR UL path loss, and the LTE UL path loss all exceedtheir thresholds, the LTE RRC directs the LTE MAC to increase LTE ULtransmit power by three decibels, and the 5GNR RRC directs the 5GNR MACto decrease 5GNR UL transmit power to zero. The 5GNR MAC powers-down the5GNR UL. The LTE MAC increases the transmit power on the UL.

In response to the 5GNR UL power-off, the 5GNR RRC in UE 410 signals theAMF in NFVI 430 over access nodes 420 to terminate 5GNR service. The AMFin NFVI 430 terminates the 5GNR service for UE 410 by signaling the SMFwhich signals the UPF to terminate the bearer for UE 410. The AMF alsosignals access nodes 420 to terminate the 5GNR bearer for UE 410.Alternatively, the LTE RRC in UE 410 may signal the MME in NFVI 430 overaccess nodes 420 to terminate 5GNR service. The MME in NFVI 430terminates the 5GNR service for UE 410 by signaling the AMF whichsignals the SMF, and the SMF signals the UPF to terminate the bearer forUE 410. The MME also signals access nodes 420 to terminate the 5GNRbearer for UE 410.

After the 5GNR UL power-down, the LTE MAC performs HARQ on the LTE UL,averages the UL LTE BLER for approximately 100 milliseconds, andnotifies the LTE RRC. 5GNR/LTE access nodes 420 determine LTE UL pathloss for UE 410 and transfer the LTE UL path loss metrics to the LTE RRCin UE 410. The LTE RRC in UE 410 averages the UL LTE path loss forapproximately 100 milliseconds. The LTE RRC compares the average LTE ULHARQ BLER to a 5GNR restoration threshold and compares the average LTEUL path loss to a 5GNR restoration threshold. The LTE RRC notifies the5GNR RRC when the LTE UL HARQ BLER and the LTE UL path loss fall belowthe 5GNR restoration thresholds. When the LTE UL HARQ BLER and the LTEUL path loss both fall below the 5GNR restoration thresholds, the LTERRC directs the LTE MAC to decrease LTE UL transmit power by threedecibels, and the 5GNR RRC directs the 5GNR MAC to increase 5GNR ULtransmit power back to a default value like 23 decibels. The 5GNR MACpowers-up the 5GNR UL. The LTE MAC powers-down the LTE UL.

In response to the 5GNR UL power-up, the 5GNR RRC in UE 410 signals theAMF in NFVI 430 over access nodes 420 to restart the 5GNR service. TheAMF in NFVI 430 signals the SMF which controls the UPF to start a new5GNR bearer for UE 410. Alternatively, the LTE RRC in UE 410 may signalthe MME in NFVI 430 over access nodes 120 to restart the 5GNR service,and the MME signals the AMF to start the 5GNR service.

The LTE RRC in access nodes 420 receives signaling from the LTE RRC inUE 410 that indicates the three decibel increases or decreases in theLTE UL transmit power. The LTE RRC notifies the LTE MAC of the ULtransmit power changes for use in network power control. The 5GNR RRC inaccess nodes 420 receives signaling from the 5GNR RRC in UE 410 thatindicates power on/off status. The 5GNR RRC notifies the 5GNR MAC of theUL transmit on/off status for use in network power control.

5GNR/LTE network 400 uses a Stand Alone (SA) architecture for LTE and5GNR. In networks with a Non-SA (NSA) architecture for 5GNR, the LTE RRChandles the tasks of the 5GNR RRC which is omitted. For 5GNR NSA, theMME, SGW, and PGW handle the tasks of the AMF, SMF, and UPF as describedfor the SA architecture. In networks with an NSA architecture for LTE,the 5GNR RRC handles the tasks of the LTE RRC which is omitted. For LTENSA, the AMF, SMF, and UPF handle the tasks of the MME, SGW, and PGW asdescribed for the SA architecture.

FIG. 8 illustrates the operation of 5GNR/LTE UE 410 to control powerconsumption based on UL HARQ BLER in 5GNR/LTE communication network 400.The vertical axis represents UL transmit power. The horizontal axisrepresents a sum of the average LTE UL HARQ BLER and the average LTE ULpath loss which were normalized before summing. When the sum of theaveraged and normalized LTE UL HARQ BLER and the averaged and normalizedLTE UL path loss exceeds a threshold “A”, then the 5GNR UL transmitpower decreases from 23 Decibels (dB) to 0 dB, and the LTE UL transmitpower increases from 23 dB to 26 dB. When the sum of the averaged andnormalized LTE UL HARQ BLER and the averaged and normalized LTE UL pathloss falls below threshold A, then the 5GNR UL transmit power increasesfrom 0 dB to 23 dB, and the LTE UL transmit power decreases from 26 dBto 23 dB.

The wireless data network circuitry described above comprises computerhardware and software that form special-purpose network circuitry tocontrol wireless communication power consumption based on UL HARQ BLER.The computer hardware comprises processing circuitry like CPUs, DSPs,GPUs, transceivers, bus circuitry, and memory. To form these computerhardware structures, semiconductors like silicon or germanium arepositively and negatively doped to form transistors. The dopingcomprises ions like boron or phosphorus that are embedded within thesemiconductor material. The transistors and other electronic structureslike capacitors and resistors are arranged and metallically connectedwithin the semiconductor to form devices like logic circuitry andstorage registers. The logic circuitry and storage registers arearranged to form larger structures like control units, logic units, andRandom-Access Memory (RAM). In turn, the control units, logic units, andRAM are metallically connected to form CPUs, DSPs, GPUs, transceivers,bus circuitry, and memory.

In the computer hardware, the control units drive data between the RAMand the logic units, and the logic units operate on the data. Thecontrol units also drive interactions with external memory like flashdrives, disk drives, and the like. The computer hardware executesmachine-level software to control and move data by driving machine-levelinputs like voltages and currents to the control units, logic units, andRAM. The machine-level software is typically compiled from higher-levelsoftware programs. The higher-level software programs comprise operatingsystems, utilities, user applications, and the like. Both thehigher-level software programs and their compiled machine-level softwareare stored in memory and retrieved for compilation and execution. Onpower-up, the computer hardware automatically executesphysically-embedded machine-level software that drives the compilationand execution of the other computer software components which thenassert control. Due to this automated execution, the presence of thehigher-level software in memory physically changes the structure of thecomputer hardware machines into special-purpose network circuitry tocontrol wireless communication power consumption based on UL HARQ BLER.

The above description and associated figures teach the best mode of theinvention. The following claims specify the scope of the invention. Notethat some aspects of the best mode may not fall within the scope of theinvention as specified by the claims. Those skilled in the art willappreciate that the features described above can be combined in variousways to form multiple variations of the invention. Thus, the inventionis not limited to the specific embodiments described above, but only bythe following claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of operating a Fifth Generation NewRadio (5GNR) User Equipment (UE) to control power consumption, themethod comprising: control circuitry selecting an initial 5GNR transmitpower and signaling the initial 5GNR transmit power to a 5GNR radio; the5GNR radio transmitting initial 5GNR signals at the initial 5GNRtransmit power; the control circuitry identifying an excessive Uplink(UL) Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) Block Error Rate (BLER), andin response, selecting a lower 5GNR transmit power and signaling thelower 5GNR transmit power to the 5GNR radio; and the 5GNR radiotransmitting subsequent 5GNR signals at the lower 5GNR transmit power.2. The method of claim 1 wherein the control circuitry identifying theexcessive UL HARQ BLER comprises averaging the UL HARQ BLER for an errorsampling period, comparing the average UL HARQ BLER for the errorsampling period to an error threshold, and detecting when the average ULHARQ BLER for the error sampling period exceeds the error threshold. 3.The method of claim 2 wherein the error sampling period is greater than90 milliseconds.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the UL HARQ BLERcomprises UL HARQ BLER for a Long Term Evolution (LTE) access node. 5.The method of claim 1 further comprising the control circuitryidentifying excessive UL path loss and wherein the control circuitryselecting the lower 5GNR transmit power and signaling the lower 5GNRtransmit power to the 5GNR radio comprises selecting the lower 5GNRtransmit power and signaling the lower 5GNR transmit power to the 5GNRradio in response to the excessive UL HARQ BLER and the excessive ULpath loss.
 6. The method of claim 5 wherein the control circuitryidentifying the excessive UL path loss comprises averaging the UL pathloss for a loss sampling period, comparing the average UL path loss forthe loss sampling period to a loss threshold, and detecting when theaverage UL path loss for the loss sampling period exceeds the lossthreshold.
 7. The method of claim 6 wherein the loss sampling period isgreater than 90 milliseconds.
 8. The method of claim 5 wherein the ULpath loss comprises UL path loss for a Long Term Evolution (LTE) accessnode.
 9. The method of claim 1 wherein the control circuitry comprises a5GNR Radio Resource Control (RRC).
 10. The method of claim 1 wherein thecontrol circuitry comprises a 5GNR Media Access Control (MAC).
 11. AFifth Generation New Radio (5GNR) User Equipment (UE) that controlspower consumption, the 5GNR UE comprising: control circuitry configuredto select an initial 5GNR transmit power and signal the initial 5GNRtransmit power to a 5GNR radio; the 5GNR radio configured to transmitinitial 5GNR signals at the initial 5GNR transmit power; the controlcircuitry configured to identify an excessive Uplink (UL) HybridAutomatic Repeat Request (HARQ) Block Error Rate (BLER), and inresponse, select a lower 5GNR transmit power and signal the lower 5GNRtransmit power to the 5GNR radio; and the 5GNR radio configured totransmit subsequent 5GNR signals at the lower 5GNR transmit power. 12.The 5GNR UE of claim 11 wherein the control circuitry is configured toaverage the UL HARQ BLER for an error sampling period, compare theaverage UL HARQ BLER for the error sampling period to an errorthreshold, and detect when the average UL HARQ BLER for the errorsampling period exceeds the error threshold to identify the excessive ULHARQ BLER.
 13. The 5GNR UE of claim 12 wherein the error sampling periodis greater than 90 milliseconds.
 14. The 5GNR UE of claim 11 wherein theUL HARQ BLER comprises UL HARQ BLER for a Long Term Evolution (LTE)access node.
 15. The 5GNR UE of claim 11 further comprising the controlcircuitry configured to identify excessive UL path loss, and in responseto the excessive UL HARQ BLER and the excessive UL path loss, to selectthe lower 5GNR transmit power and signal the lower 5GNR transmit powerto the 5GNR radio.
 16. The 5GNR UE of claim 15 wherein the controlcircuitry is configured to average the UL path loss for a loss samplingperiod, compare the average UL path loss for the loss sampling period toa loss threshold, and detect when the average UL path loss for the losssampling period exceeds the loss threshold to identify the excessive ULpath loss
 17. The 5GNR UE of claim 16 wherein the loss sampling periodis greater than 90 milliseconds.
 18. The 5GNR UE of claim 15 wherein theUL path loss comprises UL path loss for a Long Term Evolution (LTE)access node.
 19. The 5GNR UE of claim 11 wherein the control circuitrycomprises a 5GNR Radio Resource Control (RRC).
 20. The 5GNR UE of claim11 wherein the control circuitry comprises a 5GNR Media Access Control(MAC).